A $10 million dollar wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in DeKalb County Circuit Court by the mother of a 21 year old Hendersonville woman who lost her life on Center Hill Lake last summer.
Sherry Smith of Sumner County brought the lawsuit on July 22 against several individuals claiming that her daughter, Lauren Taylor Agee was killed through the intentional, negligent, or reckless acts of the defendants.
Agee’s body was found on Sunday afternoon, July 26 2015 by fishermen on Center Hill Lake near Still Point Boat Ramp across from Pates Ford Marina.
According to reports at the time, Agee had been enjoying an outing with friends known as “Wakefest” over that weekend and was camping near the edge of a steep cliff overlooking the lake prior to the tragedy.
Defendants named in the lawsuit are Aaron Lilly, a resident of Broward County, Florida; Brixner Heydrich Gambrell, a resident of Sumner County, and others including several persons referred to as “John and Jane Doe” or unknown. Two defendants (who may not yet have been served with the lawsuit) are residents of Rutherford County, Tennessee and Broward County, Florida.
Smith is seeking a judgment against the defendants for compensatory damages in the amount of $10 million; a judgment for punitive damages in an amount to be determined by a jury trial; and costs and such other further relief that the Court deems just and proper.
The plaintiff seeks to recover damages on account of the injuries to and the wrongful death of Lauren Taylor Agee arising out of the events leading up to and her death on July 26, 2015 at Center Hill Lake in DeKalb County.
Smith alleges that the “intentional, reckless, and/or negligent actions by the defendants, their agents, employees, and representatives proximately caused Lauren Taylor Agee’s injuries and death”.
According to the lawsuit, obtained by WJLE, “ In the early morning hours of July 26, 2015, Lauren Agee was killed through the intentional, negligent, or reckless acts of the defendants”.
“Prior to her death, Agee had attended a three-day event, known as “Wakefest” at Center Hill Lake with Lilly and another man and woman during which time she stayed at a campsite selected by Gambrell and Lilly. The campsite consisted of a tent and two hammocks”.
In initial statements to the authorities, a woman claimed that Agee returned to the campsite with all defendants in the early morning hours of July 26, 2015 after visiting a bar on the lake. The woman claimed that Agee wanted to go home, but that she took Agee’s keys. Upon returning to the campsite, the woman claimed that she and her boyfriend, Lilly, went to sleep in the tent while Agee slept in the hammock with the other man in the group.
The woman further claimed that later that morning, she awoke to discover that Agee was “missing”. She said that Agee’s shoes and belongings were still located next to the hammock and that when she awoke the man with whom Agee had shared the hammock to ask him where Agee had gone, he responded that she had been gone for quite some time but that he did not feel her leave.
In contrast, Lilly and the other man in the group told authorities that they had spoken to Agee’s ex-boyfriend who allegedly told them that Agee had visited him after returning to the campsite with them on the early morning hours of July 26, 2015. The man with Lilly told police that Agee only stayed at the campsite for a few minutes before leaving. But his and Lilly’s accounts to police were inconsistent with the account given by the woman in the group.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants did not alert authorities that Agee was missing. Instead the woman in the group went looking for Agee because she claimed that she expected to find Agee on the lake.
At approximately 4:00 p.m. on July 26, 2015, two fishermen found Agee’s lifeless body floating in the water in a cove.
“Agee had sustained massive trauma to her body indicating homicide,” the lawsuit states.
Around the time that Agee’s body was found, Lilly and the other man in the group approached the crime scene and asked responding officers if they had found their “missing friend”.
“Defendants have continued to provide conflicting statements regarding Agee’s death and have conspired to hide their involvement in and the true circumstances of Agee’s death. This intentional and outrageous conduct has resulted in severe injury to plaintiff (Smith), including emotional trauma and pain,” according to the lawsuit.
Smith contends that the physical injuries to and ultimate death of Agee were the result of intentional action on the part of the defendants and that the defendants acted intentionally with the conscious objective or desire to engage in the conduct or to cause the harm to Agee, plaintiff, and others, thereby entitling plaintiff to an award of punitive damages.
Smith seeks damages for wrongful death as permitted by Tennessee law including damages for the pain and suffering that Agee experienced before her death, as well as damages for funeral expenses and the pecuniary value of Agee’s life, including loss of earning capacity and the loss of society, companionship, comfort, guidance, and other losses experienced by plaintiff by reason of Agee’s death.
Smith is represented by a Nashville law firm.

U.S. Senator Bob Corker, speaking in Smithville on Wednesday, said that it’s unlikely either Presidential candidate will emphasize what he considers one of the key issues facing the U.S., the federal budget deficit.
“One of the things that won’t be discussed, unfortunately, is the deficit issue and the huge amount of indebtedness in our country,” said Corker, who spoke to a crowd of invited guests — mainly city, county, and state officials and community business leaders during an appearance at the courthouse.

Corker, a Republican and former mayor of Chattanooga, said that the country is $19 trillion in debt, and tough decisions have to be made that are important to the nation’s future. “ Projections are that in ten years the country will be $29 trillion in debt. We have $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities where we’ve made commitments to people that we don’t have the money to honor. I think this is the number one threat to our country. Military leaders that you talk with will say Russia or China is a threat overtime. ISIS is a threat. Certainly Iran getting a nuclear weapon is a threat. But the greatest threat to our nation is our own inability to deal with our fiscal issues. Yet, my guess is that during this campaign there will be zero discussion about that issue which is disappointing,” said Senator Corker.
“This Presidential race has been something very different than what I think a lot of people thought it was going to be a year ago. A big part of that I think has been driven by some of the economic insecurity people are feeling. If you look around our state, people who have high school degrees and have done everything they thought was right in life or even those with a couple of years of community college, in many cases people are just not seeing the opportunities they thought they would see. Wages have been stagnant in many ways and that has spread a lot of concern. The world is changing. Technology is changing and its changing the way we do business and a lot of folks are being left behind. Its creating insecurities and I think in many ways that has affected this race. I hope by the time we all do the early voting or reach the first Tuesday in November we’ll have a good sense of what the main Presidential candidates are going to propose as it relates to economic growth,” said Senator Corker.
Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also spoke about the importance of U.S. leadership in the world. “We’ve had a lot of foreign policy decisions made by people on both sides of the aisle that have turned out to be mistakes and that has caused a retrenchment to take place in many of Americans minds relative to what the U.S. role in the world needs to be. A world without U.S. leadership is a world that I don’t think that people here would want to live in. We don’t need to be the cops of the world but we do need to continue our leadership in the world. We cannot just focus within our borders. While we’re paying a lot of attention to this Presidential race, people around the world are doing the same thing even if they don’t agree with us on a number of things because they are aware of the tremendous difference that the United States makes in the world in espousing free enterprise and making sure the world moves more in that direction which has made our nation great. We also need to do what we can diplomatically to try and diffuse conflicts before they turn into a great problem,” said Corker.
Corker’s visit in DeKalb County is part of his four-week, 32 county tour meeting with community and business leaders. The senator is traveling across the state this month to hear from Tennesseans and share his perspective on how to address some of the major challenges facing our nation. The senator has visited 21 counties over the last two weeks and will visit a total of nine counties this week.

A portion of a state highway in her native Smith County now bears the name of an Alexandria woman who lost her life in a traffic accident two years ago.
State lawmakers recently issued a proclamation remembering the life of Sarah Marie Bullington Clark, originally from the Gordonsville area, and renamed part of State Highway 141 near her church in the Grant community the “Sarah M. Bullington Clark Memorial Highway” to honor her.
The crash that took Sarah’s life occurred on Highway 70 in Liberty the morning of Tuesday August 19, 2014 while she was on her way to work at the office of Dr. Cliff Duke D.D.S. in Smithville. She was 36 years old.
As a tribute to Sarah, friends and co-workers at Dr. Duke’s office remembered her on Wednesday, August 17 during their second annual “Smiles for Sarah Day”. “Sarah often volunteered for various charity events. She frequently traveled to other parts of the state to offer her services as a dental hygienist to the less fortunate. As a way to honor her memory, free dental cleanings, x-rays and exams were provided Wednesday to several area residents by Sarah’s friends and co-workers,” Dr. Duke told WJLE.
Sarah Marie Bullington was born on June 17, 1978 to Connie Mauzy Bullington and James Bullington and was the sister of Jonas Bullington and Erik Bullington.
She graduated from Gordonsville High School in 1996 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from East Tennessee State University and a Master’s degree in dental hygiene from the University of Tennessee-Memphis.
Sarah married Thomas Ray Clark on October 21, 2006.
In the state proclamation, Sarah is recognized for her dedication to improving the quality of life for her fellow citizens.
“After receiving her Master’s degree, Sarah established a free dental clinic for homeless persons in Lebanon, Tennessee, a project for which she was selected to represent the University of Tennessee-Memphis before a national academic assembly in Washington, D.C. and for thirteen years, Mrs. Clark worked in the office of Cliff Duke, D.D.S., who noted that “an appointment with Sarah was more about a visit with Sarah than the dental cleaning”.
The proclamation further noted Sarah’s lifetime inspiration to others and devotion to her church “As a lifelong cheerleader, Sarah cheered for sports teams from the age of six through college, and , as she moved through her life, she continued to cheer on her friends, family, and fellow citizens in their personal endeavors”.
“Sarah was a bold Christian and an active member of Lighthouse Community Church in Grant, where she served in a number of capacities and to which she drew hundreds of individuals to come and worship through her spiritual love, encouragement, and humor,” the state proclaims.
The proclamation was signed on June 17, 2016, what would have been Sarah’s 38th birthday, by Beth Harwell, Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives; State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver; and State Senator Mae Beavers.
“It is fitting that members of this legislative body (General Assembly) should honor the memory of this highly esteemed citizen of Tennessee on this special occasion,” stated the proclamation.
(TOP PHOTO: Sarah Marie Bullington Clark
(PHOTO SECOND FROM TOP: Family of Sarah Clark recently gathered at the “Sarah M. Bullington Clark Memorial Highway” sign in the Grant Community
(BOTTOM PHOTO: Sarah’s co-workers at the Office of Dr. Cliff Duke D.D.S.: Laura Hildreth (RDH), Shawnnie Davis (RDA), Dr. Duke D.D.S., Danielle Reynolds (Office Manager), Laura Mercier (RDH) Gena Cripps (RDA)

Joe Fortner has been honored as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Wildlife Officer of the Year for the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA).
The recipient of the award was announced by Darren Rider, TWRA Boating and Law Enforcement Division colonel.
Fortner serves as a wildlife officer in TWRA Region III District 31’s DeKalb County. He was selected among other TWRA law enforcement officers to become the state recipient. He will be recognized during the annual SEAFWA meeting in October to be held this year in Baton Rouge, La. While assigned DeKalb County, Fortner works throughout the district’s 12 counties.
Also honored as their respective TWRA region and district selections were Ricky Lyle, Region I and Chase Taylor, District 11; Daniel Plunkett, Region II and Mark Vance, District 21; Marty Griffith, District 32: David Carpenter, Region IV and Jeff Roberson, District 41. The officers were selected for their efforts in teamwork, public outreach, innovation, attitude, leadership, achievements and accomplishments.
“It’s always a difficult situation when one officer is selected out of a group of officers that have all gone above and beyond the duty of ensuring Tennessee hunters, anglers and boaters are provided safe and enjoyable recreational opportunities,” said Rider. “All these officers are to be commended for their professionalism and efforts they displayed this year. All these officers had a fantastic year, but Joe really excelled in all aspects of his job. His achievements and accomplishments were outstanding.”
Among Fortner’s activities this past year, he conducted educational and outreach events that included a kids fishing rodeo, displaying the “Wildlife on Wheels” educational trailer, “Gigging for Grads,” and the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). He also assisted with several county fair exhibits providing information. He taught several hunter education, boater education and trapper education programs.
“Joe’s efforts in excellence and innovation were also great,” said Rider. He covers one of the premier trout fisheries in the state, the Caney Fork River, and has utilized the use of a kayak to reach these large crowds of anglers and paddlers.
“His determined law enforcement efforts resulted in 4,392 hunters, fishermen and boaters being inspected for compliance. These efforts produced a total of 147 court citations and warnings. He also assisted other officers with another 110 citations and warnings. Through his efforts on a simple tagging violation he ending up prosecuting a poaching ring that concluded with nine individuals being charged and found guilty of the illegal killing of 11 deer.
Fortner is a firearms instructor for the agency, assisting with range preparations and semi-annual qualification of all commissioned personnel in Region III.
“Joe is certainly not only a great asset for the Agency but also for the hunters, anglers and boaters that recreate in the state of Tennessee,” Rider said.

A man who eluded authorities for several weeks, having been involved in two separate law enforcement pursuits and crashes before escaping on foot, was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, August 15.
Judge David Patterson presided.
33 year old Warren Brandon Glasby entered a plea to evading arrest and received a three year sentence to serve at 35% before his release eligibility date. Another case against him has been dismissed. This sentence is to run consecutive to a term he is currently serving. He was given jail credit from October 10, 2015 to August 15, 2016.
The evading arrest charge stems from an incident that occurred on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 in which Glasby wrecked his 2004 Ford Explorer at Liberty while being pursued by a sheriff’s department deputy. Glasby’s wife, Juanita Young was with him at the time and was injured. Glasby fled the scene on foot.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, the incident began to unfold at 12:37 p.m. when the Sheriff’s Department received a call from central dispatch in reference to a wanted person.
“Dispatch stated that Warren Glasby of Clear Creek Road, Liberty had an assault warrant out of DeKalb County and that he had just picked up the victim from the complainant’s home in White County enroute to DeKalb County in a green 2004 Ford Explorer,” he said.
“A DeKalb County deputy made contact with the vehicle on Highway 53 in Liberty and observed it pass several cars and take off at a high rate of speed. The officer activated his blue lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the automobile and pursued it onto highway 70 heading west. The suspect then attempted to turn onto Old Highway 96 but due to his high rate of speed, he lost control of the vehicle and it flipped several times, ejecting the female occupant (Young). Glasby then fled on foot toward Highway 96. Officials of the Tennessee Highway Patrol came to the scene to work the accident,” said Sheriff Ray.
The wreck was investigated by Trooper Adam Cothron and Sergeant Eric McCormick of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Young, the passenger of Glasby’s vehicle was airlifted from near the scene and flown to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga.
The warrant by THP at the time stated that ” Glasby was being pursued by a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department deputy when he turned onto Old State Route 96 from Highway 70 and lost control. Glasby’s vehicle overturned and went off an embankment and rolled into a field. During the crash, Glasby’s front seat passenger was thrown out of the vehicle through the front windshield causing injuries. Glasby fled on foot. He did not remain with the wrecked vehicle and injured passenger.”
Another THP warrant against Glasby alleged that “he failed to give any of his information and he did not render any aid to her (passenger involved in the wreck) though she received critical injuries”.
Almost a month later, Glasby was involved in a separate pursuit and crash near Alexandria.
According to the warrants at the time, a Smith County deputy got in pursuit of Glasby on Saturday, October 10 at 12:20 a.m. The pursuit continued into DeKalb County to Goose Creek Road where Glasby drove off the right side of the road into a fence causing damage to both the vehicle and fence. He and a passenger of the automobile both fled the scene. As a result of the Goose Creek crash, Glasby was charged or cited for failure to exercise due care, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, failure to give information and render aid, and violation of the financial responsibility law (no insurance).

Twin K. Construction of Helenwood, Tennessee has been awarded the bid to build the new Holmes Creek Road Bridge over Fall Creek.
In order to expedite the project, the Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen met in special session Monday evening to award the bid rather than wait until the next regular meeting on September 12.
Twin K’s bid of $687,791 was the lowest of the five bids submitted and was recommended for approval by the city’s engineer for the project, Professional Engineering Services in Sparta. In addition to the construction bid, other added costs including engineering, design, and inspection fees, geotechnical exploration, right of way, temporary construction easement, asbestos study, and permits, puts the total project at $778,655.
The city will be required to fund a grant match of 25% or $196,625 toward the project.
Kyle Hazel, Civil Engineer of Professional Engineering Services, who met with the mayor and aldermen Monday night, said the paperwork will now go to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for a contract to be drafted and approved, which could take four to six weeks, and then Twin K will have 180 days to build the bridge. “We did specify 180 calendar days from the date of notice to proceed. That is a fair and reasonable time frame knowing the season we will be entering during that 180 days. If we send this (paperwork) out (Tuesday) to TDOT to start drafting a contract to be signed by the mayor within the next week then hopefully by the middle of September we will have notification from Nashville that the TDOT Commissioner has signed the contract between the City of Smithville and TDOT. We will then have a preconstruction meeting. The contracts will be executed at that time between the city and the contractor and a notice to proceed will be issued to the contractor and they will be expected to go to work immediately. From the time we issue them a notice to proceed at the preconstruction meeting, that is when that 180 day time clock will start ticking,” said Hazel.
According to Hazel, Twin K Construction should be available to start the project as soon as they receive notice to proceed. “We had five contractors submitting bids and the lowest qualified bidder we determined was Twin K Construction. We have worked with them in a couple of other counties on these type projects before and have found their work to be adequate. The biggest concern that we had on this project was timing for completion because this bridge has been shut down since October. We know that time is of the essence. Everybody wants it sooner than later. I asked Twin K what their current work load was going to be in the future and they indicated to me that they were not terribly busy right now,” said Hazel.
The project is being funded under the state’s Bridge Grant Program but the matching cost to the city is going to be much more than originally anticipated.
Hazel explained that under the grant program, DeKalb County is allocated funds for certain bridge construction projects but the amount of available grant money is not as much as initially anticipated for this project because the state has taken a share from the grant balance for past projects. The result is that the city will have to fund a larger grant match.
”Whenever I asked for confirmation from TDOT officials I received information that wasn’t necessarily pleasing. They said there had been a $70,000 reduction in the grant fees or grant balance due to a federal bridge project that was done in this county many years ago. When TDOT manages a project for you as a local government they sometimes take five or six years to close out a project. For example, the bridge over Smith Fork on the Alexandria to Dismal Road was a federally funded project. There is another one in the Dry Creek area. There could be others I am not aware of. But under the Federal Bridge Grant Program, 80% is funded. Sixteen percent can be matched under this bridge grant balance that you (city) are using to build this bridge (Holmes Creek Road Bridge), and four percent is paid for by the local government. When TDOT closes out these projects many years later, they come in and settle up their books and they reach into whichever account that payment needs to come from and they take it. Unfortunately in this case that is what they did late in the last fiscal year. They got $70,000 from the bridge grant fund (for DeKalb County). They have the authority to do that. The bridge grant monies that are available to apply to this project is $582,000 but in order to fully fund it the City of Smithville needs to match the 75% grant with 25% in local funds to the tune of $200,000,”said Kyle.
The bridge, at the bottom of town hill behind Love-Cantrell Funeral Home, has been closed since October 30.
The state forced the City of Smithville to close the bridge due to a Tennessee Department of Transportation Evaluation Report which detailed various bridge deficiencies making it potentially unsafe.

A $2.7 million renovation at the Smithville Waste Water Treatment Plant will soon get underway.
During a special called meeting Monday night, the Smithville Aldermen voted to award a bid to the W & O Construction Company, Incorporated of Livingston as recommended by the city’s consulting engineer, the J.R. Wauford Company.
The bid of $2,794,000 was the lowest of the five bids submitted for the project which includes a renovation of the headworks and to replace the aeration system at the wastewater treatment plant.
In a letter to Mayor Jimmy Poss, Stephen C. Lee, P.E., the Vice President of J.R. Wauford & Company wrote that “This contractor has successfully performed work for our firm in the past and we recommend awarding this contract to W & O Construction, Inc.”
“Please be advised that this project involves some unit price pay items which means the final quantities will determine the final contract amount. The final contract amount may differ from the bid amount as is the case for all unit price contracts,” wrote Lee.
To help pay for the cost of the project, the City of Smithville was recently awarded a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $525,000 from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Although the grant will fund part of the costs, the bulk of the funding to pay for it will be appropriated from the city’s water and sewer fund surplus.
This project has been several years in the making.
Greg Davenport of the J.R. Wauford company addressed the mayor and aldermen on the proposed project in October, 2013. “The existing wastewater treatment plant was designed in 1991 and it went into operation in 1992. It has functioned very well. The operation of that plant is top notch. The operators have done a fantastic job of preserving your infrastructure. Even so there are things that wear out with time and equipment is one of those things. After about twenty years at a wastewater treatment facility, it just gets to a point where it’s time to renew it. There are really two components to the plant. The first component is the headworks which is the primary treatment. That’s the screening and grit removal. Obviously the most aggressive environment is at the front end of the wastewater treatment plant. The second component is the aeration and controls. The aeration system itself is not in a failing mode but there are more energy efficient systems out there nowadays that we feel like you ought to take a look at. This would be a more pro active project. What we’re proposing is a project that would renovate the headworks, which is the primary treatment device and then install a more efficient aeration system. My preliminary calculations on the aeration system show that it could save about $30,000 to $35,000 a year in electricity by switching over. The plant is twenty one years old. It’s time to take an assessment of it and see what needs to be done,” said Davenport.
City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson said Monday night that a pre-construction meeting will soon be held to lay out more specifics of the project and a timeline for completion.

Two teens have been arrested in the recent burglaries and thefts at two homes in Liberty.
18 year old Joshua James Boland and 18 year old Bobby Christopher Maynard both of Clear Creek Road, Liberty are each charged with two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of theft of property over $1,000. Bond for each is $30,000 and they will make a court appearance August 18.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Tuesday, August 2 Boland and Maynard allegedly broke into a residence on West Main in Liberty. Items taken from this home were several pieces of jewelry, an iPod Touch, a Kindle Fire, a Verizon prepaid phone, an Easton ball bat bag, $750 in cash and $300 in assorted change.
Five days later on Sunday, August 7 Boland and Maynard allegedly burglarized a different home on West Main Street in Liberty. Items taken from this home included a Winchester 45 caliber revolver, a 25 caliber semi-automatic handgun, and $350 in assorted change.
According to Sheriff Ray, some of the stolen items have been recovered. The cases were investigated by Sheriff’s Department Detectives.
48 year old Robert Orin Nannie, a homeless man, is charged with indecent exposure. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, August 12 a deputy was called to Maggie’s Landing on Highway 70 due to a complaint of a man sitting on a bench in front of the building exposing his genitals and buttocks to the public. Nannie was placed under arrest.
46 year old David Dwayne Anderson of Dedmon Hollow Road, Liberty is charged with theft of property over $1,000 and vandalism. His bond totals $9,000 and his court date is August 18. Sheriff Ray said that on Tuesday, August 2 Anderson allegedly destroyed a master lock and stole an 18 foot dovetail trailer valued at $2,000. The case was investigated by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.
46 year old Billy Cooper Pruitt of Old Bildad Road, Smithville is charged with being in an accident resulting in damage to another vehicle. His bond is $1,500 and his court date is August 11. Sheriff Ray said that on June 25 Pruitt’s GMC pickup truck allegedly sideswiped another vehicle headed southbound on Hurricane Ridge Road. Pruitt failed to immediately stop at the scene of the accident nor did he return at any time during the subsequent investigation. Other parties involved in the accident obtained the license tag number of Pruitt’s truck and reported it.
51 year old Karen Louise Edwards of Oak Place Drive is charged with hit and run, damage to a vehicle, and failure to give proper notification. Sheriff Ray said that on Monday, August 8 Edwards allegedly lost control of her 2005 Mazda and struck a parked vehicle on Vaughn Lane. She put her car in reverse, ran into a storage building crashing through the wall and damaging items inside, and then she drove off at a high rate of speed. Edwards was located the following day at her home and admitted to being responsible for the crash.
31 year old Christy Mae Bell of Dry Creek Road, Smithville is charged with aggravated assault. Her bond is $4,000 and she will make a court appearance on August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on Wednesday, August 10 a deputy was dispatched to a residence on Nashville Highway due to a domestic incident. Upon arrival, the officer learned that Bell had allegedly struck her ex-husband in the head and tried to strangle the man by grabbing him around the neck leaving scratches and marks on his face and neck. She was placed under arrest.
32 year old Steven Darrell Bly of Forrest Avenue, Smithville is charged with resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest, or search. Bly is under a $5,000 bond and he is to make a court appearance on August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on Thursday, August 11 two deputies went to Banks Pisgah Road to serve a capias warrant on Bly for failure to appear in criminal court. As he was being arrested, Bly resisted by trying to pull away from the officers. Bly is being held without bond on the failure to appear warrant and is to make a court appearance on that charge September 12.
32 year old Amy Leigh Estes of Mountain View Drive, Smithville is charged with driving under the influence. She was further issued citations for no insurance and failure to drive with due care. Her bond is $1,500 and her court date is August 25. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, August 13 a deputy was dispatched to the area of Hurricane Bridge on Highway 56 due to a one vehicle accident in which a car had hit a guardrail. Upon arrival, the officer observed a silver Saturn that had wrecked. Estes, the driver, had slurred speech and she was unsteady on her feet. Estes told the officer that she had not been drinking but that she was under the influence of suboxone and xanax. She performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.

“I didn’t have a care in the world about anything or anyone besides myself. I stole, lied, cheated and hurt many people”.
“I had zero relationship with my son and my behavior was so manipulative that the rest of my family and friends had no respect for me anymore.”
“I never thought I would be here graduating the Drug Court program. I was always getting drunk every day and didn’t care about life or my family or kids or how I was hurting them all and myself”.
Testimonials and recovery stories were shared by three individuals who have successfully completed requirements for graduation from the DeKalb County Drug Court Program during a recent recognition ceremony.
The graduates, Michael Briley, Crystal King, and Blake Goad, were presented plaques for their efforts during the program held at the New Life Connection Center in Smithville. Briley, King, and Goad are among 54 individuals who have successfully completed the local drug court program since its inception.
The ceremony, held on Monday July 25, featured remarks from the Honorable Judge Bratten Hale Cook II, a performance by Suzanne Slager of the song “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again,” and a keynote address from Monty Burks, Director of Faith Based Initiatives for Tennessee’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Drug courts attempt to get at the heart of recidivism with a different tactic that emphasizes recovery over punishment. One of the first drug courts in Tennessee started in Nashville in 1996. Now there are courts that serve 76 counties across the State. According to the DeKalb County Drug Court program it costs about $4,000 annually per participant, while it costs about $20,000 to keep someone in jail.
Most of the drug courts in Tennessee offer similar recovery programs with some varying details in operation. There are now about 3,000 programs across the country. All require participants to be nonviolent offenders, suffer from an addiction and comply with the requirements of the local programs, which by all accounts are demanding. Offenders must first be assessed that they are eligible, and the District Attorney’s offices must sign off. Program participants then commit to four phases of treatment. In DeKalb County, this includes at least a 28-day inpatient substance abuse treatment program, outpatient treatment, individual and group counseling, and they must get and maintain employment, and attend countless 12-step-based meetings such as Narcotics Anonymous. They also are subjected to an unlimited amount of random drug testing all along the way.
“For participants who violate program rules, there are swift consequences, but each case is handled individually,” Norene Puckett, Program Coordinator said. “Some participants cannot handle the rigorous program and ask to be terminated, choosing to serve their sentences in jail rather than submit to the intensive therapy and substance abuse treatment. It’s a very hard program, and it should be. Drug and/or alcohol addiction is something that our participants will have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Eventually they will get that serenity for which they are searching, but that will come only after working hard for it. The drug court program is for people who are ready to make that change,” Puckett said.
The program is funded by multiple sources which include State funded grants through the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, court fees and fines of individuals charged with drug or alcohol related offenses, additional funding appropriated through the County Commission and through donations of time from Judge Cook, the Office of the District Attorney General, the Office of the District Public Defender, Sheriff Patrick Ray, Haven of Hope Counseling and Community Probation Services. If you would like to help support the DeKalb County Drug Court Program, please contact Norene Puckett at 615-215-8690 or norene.drugcourt@gmail.com for more information.

Smithville Police arrested a man last week accused of breaking into vehicles parked near the hospital.
47 year old Billy Eugene Cook Jr. was arrested on Wednesday, August 10 for criminal impersonation and auto burglary. Police were called to investigate a complaint of a man who left the emergency room of the hospital and had been seen going through cars in the parking lot. Upon arrival the officer was approached by a man who said that someone had gotten into his vehicle and threatened him. After making the threat, the man jumped out of the vehicle and ran toward the specialty clinic. The officer caught up with the man (Cook) and placed him under arrest. Cook gave the wrong name and birth date when asked to identify himself. Another officer on the scene, who knew Cook, recognized him. His identity was confirmed by a computer picture. Cook was found to have in his possession stolen items taken from a car parked earlier by the hospital emergency room. His bond is $15,000 and his court date is August 25.
22 year old Jacob James Damon was arrested Thursday, August 4 for simple possession, driving on a revoked license, and evading arrest. Police responded to a complaint of a reckless driver on Cookeville Highway coming into the city limits. Officers spotted the vehicle near Northside Elementary School and observed it go through the red light at Highways 70 & 56 at a high rate of speed. Police activated their blue lights but the driver (Damon) refused to stop and continued into Warren County through a residential area. The driver (Damon) then turned onto a driveway and drove through the back yard and field where the vehicle went out of control and spun around before going into the yard of another residence. Due to a safety threat, police determined that the driver (Damon) needed to be stopped. They implemented the controlled pit maneuver and got the vehicle stopped. The driver (Damon) exited and continued to evade on foot. Officers gave chase and apprehended Damon. Incident to arrest, police found 32 pills believed to be Diazepam in a cellophane wrapper on Damon’s person. His bond is $16,500 and his court date is August 18.
25 year old Ashley M. Singleton was cited for shoplifting on Tuesday, August 2. A Dollar General Store employee observed Singleton placing items in her purse. The stolen merchandise was recovered and returned. She will make a court appearance on August 25.
40 year old Michael Dwayne Bennett was arrested on Friday, August 5 on a second offense of driving while suspended. Police initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle failing to maintain its lane of travel. Bennett, the driver, was not able to produce a driver’s license. Central Dispatch revealed that Bennett’s license were suspended for failure to show proof of insurance. Bennett was further cited for registration violation and failure to maintain lane of travel. His bond is $2,500 and his court date is September 1.
22 year old Shane Tyler Hale was cited on Saturday, August 6 for theft of property under $500. A Wal-Mart employee observed Hale taking multiple items from the store shelves and concealing the items in his pockets.